Fire Service

Tuesday, 28 April 2026

Questions (716)

Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin

Question:

716. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider proposing the extension of the mandatory retirement age for firefighters from 62 years-of-age to the State pension age of 66, in view of the enactment of the Employment (Restriction on Certain Mandatory Retirement Ages) Act 2025, which recognises that employees should not be required to retire before the State pension age where they are fit, capable and willing to continue working; if he accepts that the continued use of age as a proxy for occupational risk in the fire service is unnecessary, given that firefighters are already subject to robust and objective annual medical assessments, fitness testing and competency evaluations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30362/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage

The Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages) Act 2025 although not yet commenced, provides that an employee may notify their employer that they do not consent to retire at the contractual retirement age. However, the Act does not apply to an employee whose employment is subject to a maximum retirement age required by law at which the employee is obliged to retire or be retired from an employer.

In 2024, the Courts, Civil Law, Criminal Law and Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2024 was enacted. This Act amended, among other matters, the law in relation to the age at which certain public servants are required to retire. Part 11 of the Act provided the then Minister for Public Expenditure National Development Plan Delivery and Reform (M/PENDR), to make orders, enabling line ministers – Justice, Defence, and Housing – to make regulations regarding the retirement age of uniformed services. Indeed, these regulations were made in August 2024, with the consent of M/PENDR, raising the mandatory retirement age to 62.

As such, the mandatory retirement age of uniformed services is set down in law and therefore unaffected by the 2025 Act. Given that this matter has been addressed less than two years ago in consultation with staff representative bodies, there are no plans to revisit it presently.